Showing posts with label Chuckles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chuckles. Show all posts
Saturday, April 23, 2022
Funskool Chuckles - Around The Web
Chuckles is a figure of which I would have loved a repaint. His mold opened itself up to a myriad of fun colors that would have made sense. But, instead, we only got the Funskool Chuckles as an option for a variant of the character. The upside, though, is that the Funskool Chuckles is excellent. The bright, vibrant colors stand out. But, the figure wasn't that common until more recent years. So, there isn't a ton of content on him out there. But, enjoy what I could find.
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Funskool Chuckles
Funskool started producing G.I. Joe figures in the late 1980's. Through the years, production stopped and started and figures would fall in and out of production. Hasbro first recalled molds from Funskool in 1997. Many of the 1997 and 1998 Toys R Us figures had most recently been used by Funskool and still featured Funskool stamps. What this meant, though, was that when Funskool figures started getting mass imported into the U.S. by toy dealers in early 2001, many of the collector favorite molds like Firefly, BAT, Baroness, Lady Jaye, Snow Job and Gung Ho were long out of production and not available for cheap prices. There were some additional figures that were out of production in 2001. But, in 2002, figures like Flint, Ripper, Buzzer, Zarana, Scrap Iron and Beach Head went back into production...offering collectors cheap options for what had been collector favorite, but hard to find molds.
At some point in either 2002 or 2003, an odd Funskool offering showed up. A lot of currently in production Funskool figures but on Russian language packaging appeared for sale. At first, they got a lot of attention. But, as Funskool was overly common and generally unappreciated at the time, the figures quickly fell by the wayside since they tended to be slightly more expensive than the same figures that were in stock at every online G.I. Joe dealer of the era. Hidden in the set of Russian Funskool figures, though, was a single odd release. While the rest of the figures were currently shipping from India, there was one figure that was never available during the standard Funskool era of 2001 through 2004: Chuckles.
As a figure, the Funskool Chuckles would have been perfect for the early 2000's Joe era and also a disappointment. At the time, collectors loved the Funskool offerings that were nearly identical to the American release. The reason was that Joe was in it's first Renaissance period in the early 2000's and prices of popular figures and characters were quickly rising. It simply made no sense to buy a Flint for $15 when you could buy a Funskool version for $4 and get, basically, the same figure. Our current collecting sensibilities dictate that the two figures were too dissimilar for these collector feelings to be valid. But, during a time when collectors were more budget restrained, choices such as the one above were more common.
So, were Chuckles one of the widely available figures during the Funskool import era, he would have been extremely popular. His parts are good for customizing. And, his holster and pistol remain sought after accessories to this day. He would have been a strong seller. I'd have certainly bought at least one. And, maybe a few more. During that time, I army built Chuckles figures. So, getting a few for $4 each would have been attractive. (I used the figures as prisoners and retain a large squad of Chuckles to this day.) But, at the same time, Chuckles would have been a bit of a disappointment. The figure is just too similar to the American version. So, while I would have liked the figure, I also would have lamented that he wasn't something more unique so that he stood apart.
Which isn't to say that this figure doesn't have differences. In general, the colors are richer. The Funskool Chuckles' hair is a bit darker and the blue of his shirt is a slightly deeper shade of blue. His pants are slightly different, too. Side by side, it's easy to tell the figure apart from an American release. Even the gear is the same. The Funskool holster is a much darker brown and isn't as pliable as the Hasbro version. The pistols are nearly indistinguishable. In short, the Funskool version is a perfect Chuckles. But, it's also a perfect Chuckles that you can more easily find in the Hasbro version.
We know quite a bit about how Funskool worked in the 2000's. During that era, anyone who had money to spend and was willing to pay for at least one day's worth of production run (around 3,000 figures) could have a figure made for them. (Small quantities of Ripper were available in the U.S. because a retailer in India ordered a custom run and the limited overstock was offered to an American dealer.) So, it's likely that some retail outlet or individual wanted to produce toys for the Russian market and found Funskool a willing partner who could accommodate them. The fact that overstock continues to be available today would suggest that the toys weren't all that popular upon their release. But, we also have no idea of the production numbers. But, they remain very common today and massive amounts of the Russian series have been imported into the U.S. by collectors.
My one regret about Chuckles is that there was never a version made of him that was materially different than the original American figure. Sure, there are tons of Funskool variants with slight color shade differences. (There are actually carded Funskool Chuckles figures that feature hand painted flowers on his shirt.) But, there's not a version that deviates from the blonde hair and blue shirt. Even the terrible collector's club version was basically the same. (Another disastrous blunder by the club.) I would have loved to have seen a version with a red shirt, green shirt, really anything other than a blue shirt. But, that never happened. At least this Funskool version offers something different to track down. But, in the end, if you have the American figure, you have all the Chuckles you need.
Prior to the advent of the Russian Funskool figures, Funskool Chuckles figures were both hard to find and rather expensive. The Russian figures brought Chuckles to the market and dropped the prices, even though there weren't really tons of them that showed up. The Russian figs then dried up for many years. But, a lot of dealer stock popped up again in the late 2010's and that once again brought Funskool Chuckles to the market. Today, you can get loose figures for around $15 and carded figures for around $30. You'll find them cheaper every now and then. But, at the same time, the figure has gotten much harder to find than it was even at the beginning of 2018. And, as foreign Joes have gotten desirable, you're seeing even slight drops in availability shoot prices through the roof. If you want a Funskool Chuckles, it's probably best to get one now. I waited too long and had to pay more than I should have. But, since this is a character that's equally represented by the American figure, you can save your money and just get the 1987 release.
At some point in either 2002 or 2003, an odd Funskool offering showed up. A lot of currently in production Funskool figures but on Russian language packaging appeared for sale. At first, they got a lot of attention. But, as Funskool was overly common and generally unappreciated at the time, the figures quickly fell by the wayside since they tended to be slightly more expensive than the same figures that were in stock at every online G.I. Joe dealer of the era. Hidden in the set of Russian Funskool figures, though, was a single odd release. While the rest of the figures were currently shipping from India, there was one figure that was never available during the standard Funskool era of 2001 through 2004: Chuckles.
As a figure, the Funskool Chuckles would have been perfect for the early 2000's Joe era and also a disappointment. At the time, collectors loved the Funskool offerings that were nearly identical to the American release. The reason was that Joe was in it's first Renaissance period in the early 2000's and prices of popular figures and characters were quickly rising. It simply made no sense to buy a Flint for $15 when you could buy a Funskool version for $4 and get, basically, the same figure. Our current collecting sensibilities dictate that the two figures were too dissimilar for these collector feelings to be valid. But, during a time when collectors were more budget restrained, choices such as the one above were more common.
So, were Chuckles one of the widely available figures during the Funskool import era, he would have been extremely popular. His parts are good for customizing. And, his holster and pistol remain sought after accessories to this day. He would have been a strong seller. I'd have certainly bought at least one. And, maybe a few more. During that time, I army built Chuckles figures. So, getting a few for $4 each would have been attractive. (I used the figures as prisoners and retain a large squad of Chuckles to this day.) But, at the same time, Chuckles would have been a bit of a disappointment. The figure is just too similar to the American version. So, while I would have liked the figure, I also would have lamented that he wasn't something more unique so that he stood apart.
Which isn't to say that this figure doesn't have differences. In general, the colors are richer. The Funskool Chuckles' hair is a bit darker and the blue of his shirt is a slightly deeper shade of blue. His pants are slightly different, too. Side by side, it's easy to tell the figure apart from an American release. Even the gear is the same. The Funskool holster is a much darker brown and isn't as pliable as the Hasbro version. The pistols are nearly indistinguishable. In short, the Funskool version is a perfect Chuckles. But, it's also a perfect Chuckles that you can more easily find in the Hasbro version.
We know quite a bit about how Funskool worked in the 2000's. During that era, anyone who had money to spend and was willing to pay for at least one day's worth of production run (around 3,000 figures) could have a figure made for them. (Small quantities of Ripper were available in the U.S. because a retailer in India ordered a custom run and the limited overstock was offered to an American dealer.) So, it's likely that some retail outlet or individual wanted to produce toys for the Russian market and found Funskool a willing partner who could accommodate them. The fact that overstock continues to be available today would suggest that the toys weren't all that popular upon their release. But, we also have no idea of the production numbers. But, they remain very common today and massive amounts of the Russian series have been imported into the U.S. by collectors.
My one regret about Chuckles is that there was never a version made of him that was materially different than the original American figure. Sure, there are tons of Funskool variants with slight color shade differences. (There are actually carded Funskool Chuckles figures that feature hand painted flowers on his shirt.) But, there's not a version that deviates from the blonde hair and blue shirt. Even the terrible collector's club version was basically the same. (Another disastrous blunder by the club.) I would have loved to have seen a version with a red shirt, green shirt, really anything other than a blue shirt. But, that never happened. At least this Funskool version offers something different to track down. But, in the end, if you have the American figure, you have all the Chuckles you need.
Prior to the advent of the Russian Funskool figures, Funskool Chuckles figures were both hard to find and rather expensive. The Russian figures brought Chuckles to the market and dropped the prices, even though there weren't really tons of them that showed up. The Russian figs then dried up for many years. But, a lot of dealer stock popped up again in the late 2010's and that once again brought Funskool Chuckles to the market. Today, you can get loose figures for around $15 and carded figures for around $30. You'll find them cheaper every now and then. But, at the same time, the figure has gotten much harder to find than it was even at the beginning of 2018. And, as foreign Joes have gotten desirable, you're seeing even slight drops in availability shoot prices through the roof. If you want a Funskool Chuckles, it's probably best to get one now. I waited too long and had to pay more than I should have. But, since this is a character that's equally represented by the American figure, you can save your money and just get the 1987 release.
Sunday, July 23, 2017
1987 Chuckles - Around the Web
Chuckles is a figure that should be terrible but is kind of fun. His holster and pistol are excellent accessories. And, his outfit is a nice way to get a civilian-esque figure into the line. I've long used him as my de facto prisoner figure. And, for that reason, I have a about half a dozen of him. Here's the best on him from around the web.
Chuckles Profile
Chuckles Video Review 1
Chuckles Dio
Chuckles Video Review 2
Chuckles Packaging Review at JoeADay.com
Chuckles Profile
Chuckles Video Review 1
Chuckles Dio
Chuckles Video Review 2
Chuckles Packaging Review at JoeADay.com
Wednesday, July 26, 2000
1987 Chuckles
This guy should be a laugher. I mean, he is cast in pastels and looks like he's drunk. Oddly, though, it was my hate for this guy that has made him one of the most oft used figures in my collection. In the late '80's, I thought the whole Hawaiian shirt and Jams craze was ridiculous. I hated Chuckles and refused to use him. I made my youngest brother get him, though, as I wanted to have his holster and pistol. As it turned out, he ended up with two of them. I never used the figure, and relegated him to the bottom of my toybox. One day, though, I was looking for a figure that could act as a civilian. The Joes were walking out of a building and I wanted someone who could sneak up on them and open fire in broad daylight. Chuckles immediately came to mind. The Joes came down the steps, Chuckles pulled an uzi, opened figure, jumped into the sliding door of the A-Team van, and immediately became an integral part of my collection.
Chuckles rose to one of my favorite figures. I could use him as either a good or bad guy. He was the perfect figure to act as a tourist and mess with either Joe or Cobra's plans. I used him as the leader of an alternate terrorist group, or as a lone gunman who the Joes had to track down. The figure I hated, became one of the figures that went everywhere with me. He was so versatile that he was usuable in just about any scenario I could come up with. His initial appearance in G.I. Joe #60 was also very cool. When I saw some of this guy's other potential, the figure just became more interesting to me. Naturally, I was very glad to have 2 of the figures and used both of them to near destruction.
As time progressed, though, my Joe adventures returned to their military roots. Cobra became more of a military threat than terrorist. Chuckles, therefore, fell out of favor. I put the figures away and didn't see them for several years. In the mid nineties, though, I returned to Joe collecting in a big way. Since I had been gone, I explained that Cobra had been gone as well. Many of the Cobra higher ups were languishing in prisons. The proper way for Cobra to return, then, was to have them free their shackled brethren. While I had the prison breakers, I needed a figure that would work for a prisoner. These guys had been in jail for several years. They wouldn't still be wearing their Cobra togs. I needed a figure that was bland, but had an outfit that looked like the blue prison garb you see in all the movies. Once again, I turned to Chuckles.
Chuckles is the perfect prisoner figure. The pastel shirt is pretty close to prison blue and his legs are pretty barren. (Except for that knife, but I pretend it's not there.) The drunk look on his face could also be taken as sadness for a life lost to a long prison term. I had a new use for both my Chuckles figures. As Cobra began to succeed in a few of these missions, I had the Joes come out of retirement and start guarding larger contingents of Cobras who were all being moved to a central facility to keep them from recruiting. I needed more Chuckles figures. Now, I have 9 of them. Of course, they look really cool all chained together at the legs. (Just a note, twist ties, the plastic coated kind, make for good handcuffs and leg shackles. They don't look real, but they do hold the figure in realistic ways. They are all I use.) I usually put them all in my APC and have a contingent of guards, made up of 1987 Laws and 1993 Maces keeping them in line. I have a couple jeeps circling the main transport as well as a couple of bad guy jeeps and attack vehicles ready to pounce. Fun just ensues.
The Chuckles mold was used by Hasbro for this figure. From there, it went on India where Funskool released it for many years. However, Funskool stopped production on Chuckles around the time when they first returned molds to Hasbro in 1997. As such, it is highly possible that the Chuckles mold is available to Hasbro. But, in 2007, Master Collector wanted to release a Chuckles figure. They could not find the mold so they had a new Chuckles head cast. It is likely, though, that the search for the Chuckles mold wasn't as thorough as it could have been. But, it is also likely that Hasbro misplaced many of the molds that they used in '97 since they have confirmed the loss of the '86 Hawk mold that was just used a few years ago.
Regardless, I could stand for a new Chuckles figure since Master Collector basically remade the very common and easy to find original figure in terms of colors and look. They took no chances on the figure and gave collectors a boring copy of something that was already abundantly available. At least that figure is languishing in warehouses as collectors didn't respond to this lack of originality on Master Collector's part.
Chuckles figures are not hard to find. They are also pretty cheap. Most people don't like the figure, and certainly don't collect him in multiples like I do. His accessories, though, can be troublesome. His pistol is one of the smallest ever issued and was easily lost. The holster was such a cool accessory that it was often heavily used and is now found with some rips on the buckle or actual holster. Still, finding him mint and complete won't take you too long, nor break your budget. Chuckles were produced in abundance at the height of Joes' popularity. He is a fun figure, though, and is one that I wouldn't consider my collection complete without.
I like Chuckles, but have 9 or them. What is his use in your collection? Let me know.
Chuckles rose to one of my favorite figures. I could use him as either a good or bad guy. He was the perfect figure to act as a tourist and mess with either Joe or Cobra's plans. I used him as the leader of an alternate terrorist group, or as a lone gunman who the Joes had to track down. The figure I hated, became one of the figures that went everywhere with me. He was so versatile that he was usuable in just about any scenario I could come up with. His initial appearance in G.I. Joe #60 was also very cool. When I saw some of this guy's other potential, the figure just became more interesting to me. Naturally, I was very glad to have 2 of the figures and used both of them to near destruction.
As time progressed, though, my Joe adventures returned to their military roots. Cobra became more of a military threat than terrorist. Chuckles, therefore, fell out of favor. I put the figures away and didn't see them for several years. In the mid nineties, though, I returned to Joe collecting in a big way. Since I had been gone, I explained that Cobra had been gone as well. Many of the Cobra higher ups were languishing in prisons. The proper way for Cobra to return, then, was to have them free their shackled brethren. While I had the prison breakers, I needed a figure that would work for a prisoner. These guys had been in jail for several years. They wouldn't still be wearing their Cobra togs. I needed a figure that was bland, but had an outfit that looked like the blue prison garb you see in all the movies. Once again, I turned to Chuckles.
Chuckles is the perfect prisoner figure. The pastel shirt is pretty close to prison blue and his legs are pretty barren. (Except for that knife, but I pretend it's not there.) The drunk look on his face could also be taken as sadness for a life lost to a long prison term. I had a new use for both my Chuckles figures. As Cobra began to succeed in a few of these missions, I had the Joes come out of retirement and start guarding larger contingents of Cobras who were all being moved to a central facility to keep them from recruiting. I needed more Chuckles figures. Now, I have 9 of them. Of course, they look really cool all chained together at the legs. (Just a note, twist ties, the plastic coated kind, make for good handcuffs and leg shackles. They don't look real, but they do hold the figure in realistic ways. They are all I use.) I usually put them all in my APC and have a contingent of guards, made up of 1987 Laws and 1993 Maces keeping them in line. I have a couple jeeps circling the main transport as well as a couple of bad guy jeeps and attack vehicles ready to pounce. Fun just ensues.
The Chuckles mold was used by Hasbro for this figure. From there, it went on India where Funskool released it for many years. However, Funskool stopped production on Chuckles around the time when they first returned molds to Hasbro in 1997. As such, it is highly possible that the Chuckles mold is available to Hasbro. But, in 2007, Master Collector wanted to release a Chuckles figure. They could not find the mold so they had a new Chuckles head cast. It is likely, though, that the search for the Chuckles mold wasn't as thorough as it could have been. But, it is also likely that Hasbro misplaced many of the molds that they used in '97 since they have confirmed the loss of the '86 Hawk mold that was just used a few years ago.
Regardless, I could stand for a new Chuckles figure since Master Collector basically remade the very common and easy to find original figure in terms of colors and look. They took no chances on the figure and gave collectors a boring copy of something that was already abundantly available. At least that figure is languishing in warehouses as collectors didn't respond to this lack of originality on Master Collector's part.
Chuckles figures are not hard to find. They are also pretty cheap. Most people don't like the figure, and certainly don't collect him in multiples like I do. His accessories, though, can be troublesome. His pistol is one of the smallest ever issued and was easily lost. The holster was such a cool accessory that it was often heavily used and is now found with some rips on the buckle or actual holster. Still, finding him mint and complete won't take you too long, nor break your budget. Chuckles were produced in abundance at the height of Joes' popularity. He is a fun figure, though, and is one that I wouldn't consider my collection complete without.
I like Chuckles, but have 9 or them. What is his use in your collection? Let me know.
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